How to Clear Cache on a Samsung S9

Fix performance issues on your smartphone by freeing up memory

by
Molly McLaughlin.
Molly McLaughlin
Senior Content Strategist
Molly K. McLaughlin has been a technology writer since 2004. Her work has appeared on many tech sites across the web including PCMag, Dealnews, Wirecutter and many others.
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Molly McLaughlin
Updated on April 22, 2021
reviewed by
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Ryan Perian
Lifewire Tech Review Board Member
Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.
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Article reviewed on May 12, 2021
Ryan Perian

What to Know

  • Free up memory: Open Settings > Device care > Memory > Clean now.
  • Clear app cache: Open Settings > Apps > select an app > Storage > Clear cache.
  • Clear system cache: Power off the phone > boot it up into Recovery mode > Wipe Cache Partition > Yes > Reboot System Now.

This article explains how to clear the app and system cache on a Samsung Galaxy S9 or S9+ smartphone to fix various issues, including slowed down performance.

How to Free Up Memory Using Device Care 

If your device is sluggish or your apps aren’t functioning correctly, you can free up memory on your device by closing apps running in the background.

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Scroll down to Device care.

  3. Tap Memory.

    Samsung S9 Device Care settings.

  4. Tap Clean now. After cleaning, the screen will display how much memory is now available.

    Samsung S9 Device Care settings.

How to Clear App Cache on the Galaxy S9 Or S9+

You can clear an app’s cache if it’s giving you trouble, etc. Clearing the cache on an app is like doing so in a web browser. It’s good to do this if the cache is full or has outdated information messing with the app’s performance. 

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Go to Apps.

  3. Clearing the app cache on a Galaxy S9.

    Select an app.

  4. Tap Storage.

  5. Clearing the app cache on a Galaxy S9.

    Tap Clear cache. You can also select Clear data in some apps, but only if you want to permanently delete stored information like files, settings, and login credentials.

How to Clear the System Cache on the Galaxy S9 Using Recovery Mode

Android devices that shipped with Android 6.0 or older download and store system updates in the system cache. Then, it applies them when you reboot. Phones that shipped with Android 7.0 and later have a more efficient system.

It’s a good idea to clear the system cache after updating your smartphone to get rid of outdated files and data.

  1. Power off your Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus.

  2. Press and hold the Volume Up, Power, and Bixby buttons simultaneously
    until the Android logo appears and the phone vibrates.

  3. Release the buttons.

  4. Use the Volume buttons to scroll down and highlight the Wipe
    Cache Partition     option.

  5. Press the Power button to select it.

  6. You'll see a warning explaining this action can't be undone. Scroll down to Yes with the Volume button, and select it with the Power button.

  7. Navigate to the Reboot System Now option and press the Power button to select it.

  8. The Galaxy S9 should reboot with a cleared system cache.

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